Wikibooksβ

Open Source PIM/Plain Text Hyperlinks

Hyperlinks should be a common attribute of plain text, and they should be even more flexible than those used on the web. This is the primary motivation behind Plain Text Hyperlinks (hereinafter "PTH").

Plain text is the foundation for Open Source PIM because it is the most flexible storage format, and can be processed with the widest variety of pre-existing tools. Starting with that as the foundation, the following principles apply

The user should be able to treat every item in plain text as a hyperlink to something else

Special notations for specifying hyperlinks are allowable, but not required

Uncompressed plain text is considered the most "open" storage format

Compressed plain text is considered the next most "open" storage format

Content that is not readily storable as plain text should at least be readily linkable using PTH

All elements of a software system that are important to the user should be manageable (e.g., import/export) as plain text